Alaska lawmakers will continue to receive an annual salary of $50,400 after a special commission deadlocked on whether to cut the pay by 10 percent.
The vote by the State Officers Compensation Commission was 2-2, with one member absent Tuesday. The idea behind the proposed cut was that lawmakers shouldn’t be exempt from the pain felt by other state employees.
Lawmakers can claim a daily allowance while in session, and the commission unanimously voted to keep the per diem at the federal level.
However, the commission decided that if a lawmaker’s primary residence is within 50 miles of where the session is held, they cannot claim the daily allowance.
This affects a small number of lawmakers when sessions are in Juneau. More would be affected during any special sessions in Anchorage.
